11 common medical conditions often caused by thyroid disease

It is tough to be a thyroid patient with all the symptoms that befall us like a ton of bricks, but then add to that struggle the number of doctors that are miserably misinformed about thyroid disease.

Written by National Academy of Hypothyroidism

1. Infertility

When a woman thinks of getting pregnant, thoughts of having her thyroid hormone levels checked doesn’t even come to mind. Her doctor may not even suggest it. In fact, many infertility doctors are unaware of how thyroid function can impact a woman’s ability to conceive. Thyroid hormones directly affect the uterine lining, causing infertility or miscarriages to occur. Unfortunately, obstetricians and gynecologists are the doctors women look to when dealing with fertility issues or pregnancy. Arming more women with accurate information regarding the importance of thyroid function may prove helpful in educating more doctors working in other fields of medicine. In both excess or deficiency, thyroid hormones can negatively impact fertility.

2. Low Libido

Patients more often reporting loss of libido are those with hypothyroidism. Those with hyperthyroidism can also experience this symptom, but they can also experience episodes of increased sex drive, due to the sped up metabolism hyperthyroidism can cause. With hypothyroidism, the metabolism is slowed down, which means the reproductive organs are slowed down as well. The adrenal glands that produce hormones that convert into the sex hormones are also slowed down. Both men and women can see decreased testosterone and estrogen levels.

3. Depression

“Go see a psychiatrist,” your thyroid doctor advises. Hold on a minute. Inadequate levels of thyroid hormones T4 and T3 are most often the culprit of poor mood and mental wellness. With over 4000 patients, the Star*D study is the largest trial comparing antidepressant effectiveness for depression. It found that 66% of patients fail to respond to antidepressants or have side-effects severe enough to discontinue use. Of those who do respond, over half will relapse within one year. The trial found that T3 thyroid medication was effective even when other medications-such as citalopram (Celexa), bupropion (Wellbutrin), sertraline (Zolft), venlafaxine (Effexor), or cognitive therapy were not. Thyroid replacement with T3 was shown to be 50% more effective, even with the less than optimal dose of 50 mcg, under direct comparison with significantly less side effects than commonly used therapeutic approaches with antidepressants.

4. Obesity

Have you tried all kinds of healthy diets and followed exercise routines religiously? Have you put all your efforts into losing that stubborn, extra weight and still can’t get the desired outcome? One big lie that your thyroid doctor may tell you is “hypothyroidism doesn’t cause weight gain”. When a person is overweight, everyone blames them for eating too much and not exercising enough. However that’s not the whole story. Despite the vast number of weight loss programs in existence today, many overweight individuals are not successful at their valiant attempts to exercise more and eat less. Even if they do lose weight initially, many do not keep it off long-term. The overwhelming majority of times, there are metabolic abnormalities including low thyroid making it very difficult to lose weight. According to researchers, “Thyroid hormone maintains basal metabolic rate, facilitates adaptive thermogenesis, modulates appetite and food intake, and regulates body weight.”

5. Anxiety & Panic Disorders

One day you wake up with overflowing physical energy, even feeling severely anxious, with a rapid heartbeat, profuse sweating, trembling hands, and diarrhea, and you can’t stop losing weight. Then soon enough, without warning, your energy plummets. You feel like a slug, are constipated, your hair starts falling out, you gain weight no matter how little you eat, and you are severely depressed. You may have difficulty swallowing, sound hoarse, and feel like you have swallowed something that wont go down. And then, suddenly, your old symptoms return, and you feel anxious, sweaty, trembling, and panicky. This cycle can repeat itself again and again. While your symptoms resemble a mental health issue, they could be signs of Hashimoto’s disease, one cause of hypothyroidism.

Hashimoto’s disease, also known as autoimmune thyroiditis or simply Hashimoto’s, is caused by an autoimmune disorder. In this case, the body’s immune system sees the thyroid gland as a foreign body and begins to attack, damage, and kill thyroid cells along the way. As the cells are damaged or destroyed, they release their stored thyroid hormone, causing classic hyperthyroid symptoms such as anxiety, panic attacks, shaking hands, sweating, and a racing heart. Each autoimmune attack causes more and more damage to the thyroid gland until, ultimately, the gland is no longer able to produce adequate thyroid hormones. Every cell in the body needs thyroid hormones, so a deficiency can wreak havoc on the entire system, causing depression, weight gain, severe fatigue, brain fog, memory loss, and even overall body aches. With such a dramatic swing in symptoms, it’s easy to see how Hashimoto’s disease could be misdiagnosed as a mental illness like manic depression or bipolar disorder. And it happens much too often.

Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can present with mental health symptoms.

6. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition where pressure on the median nerve causes pain, numbness, tingling and weakness in the hand, fingers, wrist, and forearm, is a common complaint. Some thyroid patients, in particular those with hypothyroidism, struggle with carpal tunnel syndrome, but don’t realize that there is a key connection between this painful nerve problem and their thyroid function. Hypothyroid patients often find themselves with CTS because those who have thyroid dysfunction tend to retain excess fluids in their connective tissues. Accumulation of musopolysaccarides, another common occurrence in hypothyroid patients, promotes swelling around the median nerve which increases pressure and compression of the carpal tunnel.

7. Heart Disease

Have you been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure? It is possible your thyroid hormone levels could be responsible. Thyroid hormones have a direct effect on the heart, causing it to speed up or slow way down, creating heart disease. Your doctor, after evaluating the heart disease symptoms, may refer you to a cardiac specialist. Cardiologists may only look at the heart disease symptoms at hand, not considering the possibility that thyroid hormone imbalance could be the cause.

Low Thyroid Hormones

With too little thyroid hormones circulating within the body, your heartbeat slows down and can even cause irregular heartbeats to occur, Bradycardia. Low thyroid hormones reduce the function of the heart, sometimes causing fluid to develop around it, causing pericardial effusion.

Low thyroid hormone levels can also cause high cholesterol for many people. Increased levels of “bad” lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are directly related to sub-optimal thyroid function. These hormones not only make cholesterol (good or bad), but they are also responsible for eliminating the cholesterol that we do not need. When the extra cholesterol isn’t removed, plaque develops within our arteries, clogging them. The result can be heart disease, stroke, or even heart attack. In a Dutch study called “The Rotterdam Study”, it was found that elderly women with subclinical hypothyroidism were almost twice as likely as women without this condition to have blockages in the aorta. They were also twice as likely to have had heart attacks. Having autoimmune hypothyroidism with elevated antibodies to thyroid peroxidase increased the risk even further.

Blood pressure can also become high when thyroid hormones are too low. Arterial stiffness, thickening, and decreased elasticity can occur when too little thyroid hormone is circulating within the body, increasing peripheral vascular resistance, causing blood pressure to rise. Many doctors prescribe statin drugs for high cholesterol levels and blood pressure medication without first checking thyroid hormone levels to see if they could be the the underlying cause.

High Thyroid Hormones

When thyroid hormones levels are too high the heart beats faster which can lead to a condition known as Tachycardia. Tachycardia can go unnoticed until palpitations, heart pain (angina), shortness of breath, or dizziness starts to occur. A prolonged fast heart rate can also cause incoordination of the electrical impulses that travel to the heart. The effect on the electrical impulses of the heart can cause a serious condition called atrial fibrillation (Afib) to develop in the right atrium of the heart. Afib causes your heart to beat erratically and can be quite uncomfortable. The constant quivering or irregular heartbeat may lead to stroke, heart failure, and many other serious heart problems.

8. ADD & ADHD

Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can promote symptoms commonly seen in ADD/ADHD. This isn’t to say that ADD and ADHD don’t exist, nor is it to say that you can’t have these conditions while suffering from a thyroid problem, but due to the lack of knowledge and improper thyroid testing many people are incorrectly diagnosed with ADD or ADHD when really they have a thyroid problem.

When looking at the symptoms of hypothyroidism and ADD, they are eerily similar. Hypothyroidism symptoms include:

Brain fog

Short and long-term memory issues

And many, many, many more

ADD symptoms include:

Difficulty focusing

“Zoning out”

Difficulty remembering conversations/tasks

In addition to the similarities listed above, hyperthyroidism and ADHD have extremely similar symptoms, as well. In the case of Hashimoto’s disease, a person’s TSH can rise and fall with symptoms of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.

Hyperthyroidism symptoms include:

Difficulty staying still, constantly moving

Brain fog/lack of attentiveness

Irritability/mood swings

ADHD symptoms include:

Constant fidgeting/moving

Difficulty focusing

Quick temper/easily angered

These conditions do sound very similar and could be easily confused in children and even in adults. Another, not as well-known thyroid conditions, can also mimic ADHD: thyroid hormone resistance. This is a condition in which the body does not properly respond to the thyroid hormones and instead of the pituitary gland lowering the production of the TSH hormone, it stays the same and the body continues to produce unnecessary thyroid hormones.

9. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Do you have Gastroesophogeal Reflux Disease (GERD)? Did you know that that could be an indication of thyroid dysfunction? If not, don’t worry. Most thyroid doctors don’t know that either. Excess stomach acid is often considered the culprit, but looking beyond heartburn commercials reveals the projected public perception can be contrary to the underlying physiology. GERD is frequently treated with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which are the most potent suppressors of gastric acid on the market. Digestive medications are a multi-billion dollar industry. With stomach acid at the center of it all, it is easy to see why reducing it might be the answer. Yet delving further clearly illustrates that’s not always the case.

When it comes to the thyroid, your thyroid doctor must understand the importance of gut health in a treatment protocol. Not only is the majority of the immune system located in the gut, but the thyroid relies on healthy gut bacteria to convert thyroid hormone T4 to active T3 as well. Another consideration is the close relationship between stress, thyroid and the digestive tract. We all know that pit in our stomach or lump in our throat that can come with stress. Other effects of stress on the digestive tract aren’t as noticeable however. For instance, stress can contribute to “leaky gut“ (intestinal permeability), which is associated with autoimmune disease and symptoms that come with it. The thyroid is part of the HPAT-axis (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal-Thyroid-Axis). The thyroid and its symphony of hormonal functioning are also affected by stress since adrenals regulate stress response.

10. Insomnia

“I’m not sleeping at all. But maybe I’m just stressed.” I hear this from many women in their forties. It’s true, the stressors have seemed to multiply and attack from all sides – kids, marriage, aging parents, bosses, coworkers, employees – all just look like hungry mouths screaming to be fed. But the difference now, is that hormonal changes are making it difficult to handle these inevitable life challenges. In the perimenopausal years – usually when a woman is in her forties – ovarian production of hormones starts to shift. Insomnia is one of the most common symptoms of perimenopause. What disturbs me most about hearing women describe their insomnia that has been occurring for months, is that women are not sharing this with their friends, nor mentioning this to their doctor. They seem to just accept it as inevitable, an effect of living a full life, or just a natural sign of aging. If this is only happening sporadically, or only after a rare, particularly stressful day or after too many glasses of wine, then there is no real cause for concern and the best approach is to minimize the stress at hand. However, any symptom you are having is a signal from your body that it is out of balance and some intervention is necessary. The primary culprit during perimenopause and menopause is a hormonal imbalance or deficiency.

Progesterone and Sleep

Progesterone declines first during the perimenopausal years. Progesterone is only produced during the second half of the menstrual cycle: from ovulation until bleeding occurs. So if you’re bleeding more often, spotting between periods, having heavier periods or not ovulating at all and skipping periods, your progesterone levels are low. Progesterone has a direct, sedative effect on the brain, by stimulating the brain’s production of the neurotransmitter GABA and stimulating benzodiazepine receptors. Yes, progesterone is nature’s Valium! In turn, progesterone deficiency causes insomnia, irritabililty, anxiety and even panic attacks. Progesterone also is a respiratory stimulant, meaning that it deepens breathing and can prevent sleep apnea. Many untreated perimenopausal women gain weight, causing sleep apnea, which in itself destroys sleep quality.

Estrogen and Sleep

Hot flashes and night sweats are one of the most disturbing symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, mainly caused by estrogen deficiency and fluctuations in estrogen levels. Although estrogen doesn’t always decline first in perimenopause, if you’ve started skipping periods, that’s a clear sign that you have an estrogen deficiency, because you didn’t make enough estrogen to ovulate. The most common symptoms of estrogen deficiency are hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, missed periods, lighter bleeding, and depression. If you’re not having any problems falling asleep, but you wake every night at 2:00 AM drenched in sweat, or you feel hot just as you awaken every morning, then you’re most likely feeling the effects of low estrogen. Estrogen is both a serotonin agonist as well as a GABA agonist, two neurotransmitters that promote good mood and a sense of calm. Insomnia and depression are inextricably linked, so if you’re suffering from both of these and you’re perimenopausal, estrogen deficiency might be the cause.

Cortisol and Sleep

Cortisol is the adrenal hormone that wakes us up in the morning and helps us combat stress throughout the day, then declines at nighttime, allowing us to sleep. When we’re stressed, whether from external sources like the economy, or internal sources like infections or hormonal changes, our adrenals pour out massive amounts of cortisol initially, then often crash if the stress is insurmountable. During menopause, cortisol levels can spike during the night, causing those nighttime awakenings and disturbed sleep. Optimizing adrenal function is another key to that perimenopausal insomnia.

Thyroid and Sleep

The typical hypothyroid patient is so steeped in fatigue that they can sleep all day long. However a small subset of hypothyroidism causes insomnia. It’s as if the body doesn’t have enough energy during the day, then finally spikes at night, preventing the body from recharging and perpetuating the vicious cycle of fatigue. This may also be due to cortisol spikes at night, as mentioned above, but optimizing thyroid function is essential for healthy energy production and sleep-wake balance.

11. Headaches & Migraines

Headache is one of the most common symptoms in hypothyroidism. According to a study published in The Journal of Headache and Pain, patients with subclinical hypothyroidism have a higher risk of lifetime migraines. Another recent study found that headache disorders may be a risk factor for the development of new onset hypothyroidism. It is also believed that decreased levels of estrogen and progesterone, which occurs before/during menstruation and during perimenopause and menopause, may cause blood vessels to spasm at the base of the neck. Low adrenal function or an imbalance of brain chemicals, such as serotonin and dopamine, may also play a role but are often completely overlooked.

About National Academy of Hypothyroidism

The National Academy of Hypothyroidism is a non-profit, multidisciplinary medical society founded and headed by Kent Holtorf, MD, which is dedicated to dissemination of new information to doctors and patients on the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism.

Dana Trentini M.A., Ed.M., founded Hypothyroid Mom October 2012 in memory of the unborn baby she lost to hypothyroidism. This is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for consulting your physician regarding medical advice pertaining to your health. Hypothyroid Mom includes affiliate links including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Connect with Dana on Google+

Comments

I’m 31 years old with hypothyroidism. I found out 5 months after i had my son. I was 19 at the time. But i was first diagnosed with hyperthyroidism May 2007. Before my son i weighed 98 pds. I gained weight and had a normal prengacy and minor preeclampsia durning delivery but everything was fine. For my post partum i had went from 127 to 105 pds. That’s went they started questioning habits and how i felt and then I was sent for bloodwork and hyperthyroidism was the diagnosis. In November 2007 it was suggested that i do the radiation to lower my thyroid because i was losing too much weight and so i went on to do the radiation idione which what it does is burns some of the thyroid tissues to slow it down. After the radiation bloodwork was collected and it was determined that the hyperthyroidism was gone but that it also gave me hypothyroidism because the dosage of the radiation was more than anticipated. So my doctor suggested that i take levothyroxine i can sit here and go through all the dosages that i have been on but well be here all day. I just wasn’t taking the medication properly and would always forget. At this point now thinking about it i wouldn’t be surprised if i took more than one pill because i wasn’t sure of i took it at all. Mind you my weight never went up. I think the most i have touched since being diagnosed is 122. Still typically slim. I currently weigh 109. Since being diagnosed my weight just goes up and down. Anyways throughout my years of not taking my medication property i can tell you that the symptoms that i feel are currently both i feel. I don’t gain weight that sticks because of the hyper. I have an Apple Watch and i track my heart rate i don’t now how accurate it is but my resting heart rate is 46. I’m always cold but that’s hypo not hyper. Living with the symptoms of both hyper and hypo isn’t easy. Everyday is a struggle. I see a lot of people responses but i haven’t seen a post or an article explaining being diagnosed with one but having the symptoms for both. I haven’t seen an endocrinologist since 2008 ish I wanna say, but my medical doctor treated me like such a baby that as long as I was seeing him I was ok. But lately I’ve been feeling different maybe I’m getting older and I’m starting to slow down and things are getting worse or its because I haven’t taken the medication long enough to see or feel a difference. In the reading this article alot of things that have to do with anxiety and depression I noticed that those are the symptoms that I have been feeling I’m hoping that since i’m now taking the medication properly that I start to see a change soon.

I am 54. Hashimotos has been my baby for 30 years.
School principal: I brought cookies or I brought Doughnuts.
me: I don’t eat them, I don’t eat gluten, or sugar, or polyunsaturated fat
Colleague: why do you email at 2:00 am?
Me: I can sleep a long time, but I’m always wide awake at around 2:00
Honor Society students: you are invited to our teachers appreciation pizza party.
Me: I will politely decline…. or can I bring a salad?
Husband: it’s a plain fact that you can’t put on weight unless you eat too much. That thyroid thing is just an excuse.
Me: I’ve eaten with you all weekend and you haven’t even noticed that I skipped most of what you ate and my calorie intake has been minuscule plus I Road my bike 100 miles this week.
The list is endless of lack of understanding, lack of support and judgements… like
You are a hypochondriac, or you are so unsociable.
My friends know that I am a vibrant, problem solving, kick in the pants!
Yet… Hashimotos Disease is the most common thyroid disorder in the world and the most under diagnosed

Hi Karen, Your thyroid is not an excuse. It slows down metabolism and on top of that causes swelling. Your comment so perfectly describes the experience of so many hypothyroid people, I wonder may I post it as a guest article at Hypothyroid Mom? I can make it anonymous if you prefer without your name, or if you have a website you wish to promote I would use your name as the guest writer with a bio at the end. Let me know.

In 2006, prior to undergoing a breast lumpectomy for cancer, my doctor ordered an upper body CT Scan to check my lungs as I was a smoker. My lungs were fine, but the scan showed nodes on my thyroid. The biopsy came back positive for thyroid cancer.

Following lengthy breast cancer treatments and a brief recovery period I had a complete thyroidectomy. Breast cancer was actually quite bearable compared to what I’ve experienced since the removal of my thyroid. It has been sheer hell, to say the least. After 10 years of weight gain, constant fatigue, muscle tightening and weakness, widespread physical pain throughout my body, hair loss, etc. etc. etc. and doctors who hadn’t a clue as to what they were doing I decided to take measures into my own hands.

I had always been very healthy and active. I was mother to three grown children and a small business owner, I couldn’t accept that this was what the rest of my life would consist of. I couldn’t walk 30 feet without having to rest. My legs were so weak! At 43 I could still dance all night in heels, what the hell was happening to me?!

I thought long and hard and realized that if doctors were prescribing a synthetic thyroid hormone pill, that they were essentially mimicking natural thyroid hormone and that there had to somehow be a natural alternative. I was right! After searching on the internet and reading all that I could and asking many questions I came across Natural Desiccated Thyroid from New Zealand pasture fed cows. I placed an order and hoped for the best. Less than a year later I am down 40 lbs! I have the energy that I used to have. I am gaining muscle tone and my legs are no longer weak. My hair has stopped thinning, the non-stop sweating has ceased. I feel like my old self again!

I had lost my health insurance and my so called doctor would no longer prescribe my Levothyroxine without bloodwork and an office visit. It’s common knowledge that once your thyroid is removed you are told that you must now take this pill every day for the rest of your life, right? Wrong. Only if they can make lots of money off of your visits. They run the bare minimum of tests and go by the numbers on the paper or screen, not what the patient is telling them.

This is not health CARE, this is health BUSINESS and you are money. To hell with your health. Your symptoms are all in your head, the numbers are right where they should be and that’s all they’re going to do for you. They may change your medication once in awhile and adjust the micro grain number up or down 25 or 50 mcg’s. if you complain enough, but you’re not going to feel any better.

I can only tell you my story, what happened to me and what I did. What worked for me may not work for you and I make no claims as to being a health professional. This is a risk I took and though I have experienced positive results in every category I was looking to improve, you may not. I began with 50 mg’s and now take 100 mg’s per day. I do have a bottle of 150mg’s in case the 100’s don’t seem to be working. Some people level off there and some increase to 300mg’s. I take nothing else, just this. It is called Thyrovanz. When my husband tells my story, he tells people that he felt as if he was watching me die and his eyes fill with tears. He describes my distorted facial features, my lumpy hands, my Popeye’s forearms, and thinning hair. He says it looked like someone inserted a hose under my skin and pumped me full of fluid Please, be your best healthcare advocate. YOU are responsible for your own well being. If your doctor is not helping you, please speak up. It may save your life!

Thank you for your story. Mine is very very similar. I am thyrovanz also but I am on 350mg. I have been hypothyroid since 1995. I finally had my thyroid 100% removed in 2003…..it was 9 times its normal size.

I feel good. I can work my 12 hour shift and come home and now the lawn. And when I lay down in bed, I fall asleep in minutes. I wake up minutes before my alarm.

I can’t tell you how poor the medical doctors are. I have been referred to psychiatrists who didn’t even read my file of everyone in my family having issues with thyroid. Hyper and hypo. Poor medical practices we have.

I wish everyone stregnth in order to fight for your right to feeling the best you can.

For years I felt terrible was tested for everything under the sun. Everything always came back normal. The rheumatologist told me it was Fybromylagia. I started running and exercising 4 years ago and started feeling better for the most part. Besides arthritis in my hands and carpal tunnel. Then a year ago I started sweating profusely, extreme dry mouth, dry eyes and joint pain. My doctor thought i was going to be hyper.But I was normal at 170. He said it was stress. Fast forward to a month ago when I just had a routine physical and my TSH was 504. Not really sure how to proceed.. Do I wait 6 months and have my numbers retested. Do I take the results to my regular doctor. Any advice would be great.

Normal TSH levels are suppose to be between .85-4.0 as I understand it. Google the TSH level chart and go to images. It will show how the chart works. Being that you are 504 I am guessing that means 5.04 which would mean that you are hypo and absolutely need to get on medication. You can’t be feeling good at these numbers. Make an appointment ASAP. Low thyroid function turns ugly very quickly. I have been hovering in the 2.5 range and still feel awful. Luckily my doctor listens and understands that I am best between .85 and 1.0. I am a work in progress. Good luck to you.

I have had my thyroid completely removed and struggle with weight gain. This is an awesome site by the way. Does anyone know of a diet plan that helps with weight loss with this population? Thank you so much for any suggestions.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at around 8 I am 49 now, and suffer horribly from aches and pains everywhere. I was doing pretty well earlier this year, but I am terrible about filling my prescriptions on time. And after being out of them for at least 2 weeks I called for a refill. I started having my usual symptoms, the doctor approved a month and sent in the mail a lab request. I went in and had the test done. When I ran out again I was a bit more on time about calling for a refill. I went to get them and no refill approved. I called again and requested my refill. Again no response from the doctor. After 3 weeks my symptoms were severe. I was eating from the moment I opened my eyes til bedtime. Longer story short the doctor refused to give me my meds until they saw me in person. Also I found out my levels were ” normal” last lab draw. I now have pain that won’t stop, am constipated most of the time, and even when I am not feel like I am. I feel they destroyed my health. I KNOW when there is something wrong with me. But my doctors seem to believe they know me better than I do. I am ranting a bit. And I didn’t stick to guns on my last appt. But to all readers… REMIND YOUR DOCTOR’S THAT THEY WORK FOR YOU!! NOT YOU WORK FOR THEM! YOU ARE THE BOSS MAKE THEM LISTEN TO YOU!! YOU PAY THEM TO CARE FOR YOU. And it will take you standing up for you to stop their abuse of your health. Thanks to any who read this.

Has anyone had elevated CRP? My blood tests results just came normal T4 (but that is the only thyroid test done) but I have extremely high CRP. I also had parathyroid issues several years ago – time to revisit that as well. Waiting on doctor’s office for new appointment as doctor wants to see me right away regarding CRP levels.

Hi Denise, This is Dana, the founder of Hypothyroid Mom. I’ve experienced high CRP for years and it has taken much time and effort to finally get to the bottom of it. I plan to write a few articles about this topic soon. High CRP is a measure of the level of inflammation in the body. I write about digestive health at Hypothyroid Mom and that is one common cause of high inflammation. Turned out in my case that I had severe Candida, yeast, living in my gut that a naturopath discovered through a stool test. You would be surprised the number of infections we can have in the body even ones without symptoms that can be causing high inflammation. Also I’ve gone through several thermographies, special tests that can be done to identify inflammation and it turns out I have high inflammation in my bottom left gum area, and that turns out to be where I have a root canal done at age 23. I am looking into solutions for this at the minute but I write to you to share my experience in the hopes you will find a doctor to help you explore this high CRP with you to help resolve it.

I have had several of the symptoms for years. My mother is hypothyroid. My sister developed a large nodule on her neck and turned to her family doctor. Her TSH levels came back normal. She pushed for an endocrinologist referall and after months of pushing got one. The endocrinologist found she had hypothyroid and the cyst on her thyroid was cancer.

Regardless of my symptoms and family history my doctor will not provide further testing because my tsh levels are 2.76. Four years ago it was 1.67.
In the past 6 months my periods have decreased to lasting less than 24 hrs and I am having hot flashes right before and during my period. Not a “flash” rather my skeleton is on fire for 15-30 mins.

I have 3 children (youngest 6 yes) so my doctor brushes off thyroid and early menopause symptoms.
I am 37 though. This is so stressful.